Lab Session: The Millennials Project – the 7 Values That Drive a Generation

facilitator:

Taylor Lies

Nearly 78 million Millennials were born between 1980 and 2000 in the U.S. alone. While this represents a significant market opportunity, many organizations are wrestling with the challenge of how to innovate for this new generation. What motivates them? What experiences do they seek? What drives their behaviors? Many myths and stereotypes exist for Millennials — lazy, narcissistic, entitled — and most are inaccurate.

While widely researched, few studies have focused on how Millennials actually see themselves. Lextant recently completed a unique year-long study to understand what drives Millennials as seen through their own eyes. The goal of the study was to create a foundational understanding of the desires and motivators of this next generation to serve as a starting point for product and service innovation.

7 Core ValuesThis workshop will explore Generational Innovation starting with the 7 core values and 4 key influencers that shape the desires of the Millennials. Like never before, this generation will seek out experiences of discovery, involvement, and connectedness. They desire to participate in the creation of the products, services, brands, and communities they choose. They seek to contribute in extraordinary ways to the professions and passions that define them. Workshop participants will explore strategies to bring these values to life in through their product and service innovations.

This workshop is relevant to anyone who is responsible for customer insights, design research, customer experience, innovation, business strategy, requirements specification, ideation, or design.

biography

Before joining lextant in 2006, Taylor strengthened his analytic and creative skills at the Institute of Design in Chicago. There he earned a Masters in Design, with concentrations in design research and innovation planning, the intersection of business strategy, design, and user research. Taylor has also studied at Archeworks in Chicago and has a bachelors degree in mathematical economics from Colgate University. Taylor draws on past experiences at Motorola, Brainforest, United Way, and Keane. At lextant, Taylor’s work has spanned products, processes, services, and web-based experiences. He has conducted research locally, globally, and even digitally. He’s equally comfortable conducting research in the passenger seat of a semi-trailer truck, a cramped apartment in Mexico City in the middle of a blackout, or in front of a focus group.